


Where Did The Party Go

by ultramarine_citrus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Bounty Hunters, Gen, Minor Sokka/Suki, No War AU, Teamwork makes the dream work, also my girl Suki needs some love, i love the boiling rock episode so much so i decided to make this, there's no war in ba sing se (haha i have to put it)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24803995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultramarine_citrus/pseuds/ultramarine_citrus
Summary: Revenge is a dish best served cold.Sokka believes crimes are just puzzles for him to solve. Suki wants to give the best quality service in bringing fugitives to justice. Zuko thinks fighting is more exciting than serving tea in his uncle’s teashop. Together they work to earn a living and most of the time, for fun.
Relationships: Sokka & Suki (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Where Did The Party Go

With almost five hundred people in the ballroom, one will expect the air conditioner working. Suki starts to sweat under the mask, especially on the area below her eyes. Between being afraid of her dance partner recognising her and the second dance just getting started, it’s impossible for her to wipe it off. 

Suki is wearing a gold sequin mermaid dress with intricate floral patterns. It’s too beautiful, she has told Ty Lee so many times because Suki is going to feel bad if the dress is torn. But Ty Lee insisted on making it look expensive, considering it’s the Earth King’s wedding. Important people around the world are cordially invited.

She can see Zuko dancing with a Beifong, the clan’s flying boar insignia is too obvious to miss. The girl is at least twenty centimeters shorter than him. It’s no bizarre thing that he’s a natural in the high society function, he is a prince after all. Now the title is meaningless as he has been banished from the Fire Nation. It’s a perfect coincidence this is a masquerade ball so the scar on his face is hidden.

And there’s still no signal from Sokka.

To think that they have known each other for three years still feels strange. The ex-leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, the son of the Southern Water Tribe chief, and the banished prince of the Fire Nation shouldn’t be working together in a field outside polite society’s expectations.

Their first job was Sokka calling them for help to track a corrupt Southern Water Tribe governor. They still had their own jobs, Zuko helping his uncle in the teashop and Suki being the Kyoshi Warriors leader. The mission was successful and they got addicted to it. They have their own reasons now. Suki wants a less structured job than being the leader of Kyoshi Warriors (while still kicking ass), Zuko wants to give a big ole middle finger to the Fire Lord (he still refused to call him father), and Sokka just likes being a smartass who comes out with clever strategies to catch the bad guys. They have come so far that they have their own office, Boomerang Badass and Co. (Suki still thinks they could have named it better, Zuko just gives up caring about it), in the higher ring of Ba Sing Se. In the Earth Kingdom, that means a massive success.

Tonight their target is a retired admiral of the Fire Nation Navy, Zhao, for attempting to kill a spirit. Although the case is kept from the public eye, it’s still pretty stupid for him to still attending the party considering it’s 100,000 gold coins on his head. He probably rose through the ranks to admiral because of nepotism, Suki is sure of it. This is just asking his own head on a silver platter. But there’s a catch, they don’t have handcuffs and weapons right now, so it’s pure chi-blocking this time. Firebending is absolutely prohibited here, or any type of bending in general. Nobody wants to give their paycheck to cover the damages caused by fighting in a cultural heritage area in Ba Sing Se, especially in the middle of a wedding. That means nobody wants to ruin someone else’s special day because karma somehow exists and it’s dishonorable, in Zuko’s words. Both Sokka and Suki don’t want their future wedding to end up in flames, so they pay it forward.

“Okay, he’s going back to the hotel. Let’s go.” Sokka talks over her earpiece. Zuko nods at her from across the room.

Finally, it’s time to get out from this slow cooker.

\----

Zuko passes the wedding buffet on the way out. Like every bounty hunter who needs to capture their target as fast as they can, he decides that grabbing a snack would only hurt a little especially when it’s taiyaki.

He recognises most people in the room. Mai still wears her hair in double buns. Aang never leaves Katara’s side. They claim that they are not dating, but Zuko could even see the blatant lie. The Fire Lord of course attends the wedding. Azula is nowhere to be seen. Apparently the Fire Lord remarried and now has another son, a crown prince. He heard the news but didn’t believe it until now.

Zuko sneaks one more taiyaki to his pants. Ty Lee would be mad if the suit she designed is ruined, but then again Ty Lee wouldn’t understand that her taiyaki is borderline biohazard. Besides, he could claim the red bean paste as blood if it leaves stains. He’s indeed very smart.

They have been tracking Zhao for three months. The fact that Zuko has extensive knowledge of the Fire Nation military brings its own advantages. This should've been faster, but dealing with Zhao also means dealing with other powerful people in the Fire Nation. That means Zuko has to be careful with his banishment terms. He doesn’t want the media and the royal palace to portray him as a disgraceful prince desperate to go home. The Fire Lord has ways to make himself look good and his smearing campaign is always effective. After ten years, the palace still won’t leave him alone.

Zuko could tolerate most of the court people in the Fire Nation, but Zhao? He wishes he could be the one to torture the bastard. He is not usually a violent person, but the guy deserves a special place in hell especially after messing up with world balance. White Lotus only ordered to bring him alive. A little violence wouldn’t be so bad, it’s payback for that attempted murder years ago. It’s a miracle Zuko survived the ship blow up.

He wants to remove this mask so bad. It shouldn’t have been a problem considering he’s used to wearing his Blue Spirit mask on missions, but dancing makes him nervous thus making him sweat more than usual. It’s a different kind of sweat than fighting or doing firebending practice because this one kind of stinks. Also, being in a large crowd for a long time like this makes his anxiety worse.

At least being outside now helps him cool down a bit. 

There are few guests already getting in their carriages. They are probably not that distinguished that they can afford the price of leaving early. Dai Li agents are looming in every corner. Now that’s another obstacle on the list. They have to move fast.

The plan is the oldest trick in the book. Monitoring the target's activities and when he’s alone, they will strike.

\----

Zhao drinks a lot, and may be categorized as an alcoholic by now.

Last night's attempt was futile. He didn’t get out of his room after the wedding, probably too tired from the journey to the Ba Sing Se. Now that the universe works in Sokka’s favor, the target is only a few meters away, alone, drinking in one of Ba Sing Se’s most exclusive clubs. Zhao’s men sit at the corner of the room watching him.

It’s now or never. Zuko goes to Zhao’s left and orders a drink. Sokka sits with Suki on the right.

Zhao chuckles. “The banished prince, to what do I owe the pleasure. You sure are hard to get rid of. Maybe one day you will finally go unhinged like the princess.”

Wait, so the rumor is true? Sokka has never seen her in the Harmonic Convergence for the last two years. It’s too bad, Azula used to give the most constructive criticism for the organization. Now the delegates from the Fire Nation are men too old to stay awake in the meeting.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night. You may want to consider your past actions. Someday it will bite you in the ass, or I might think it already has.” Zuko drinks his sake.

Suki corners him from the right side. “Zhao, you are under arrest by the White Lotus for attempting to murder the moon spirit. Surrender or you’ll lose this fight anyway.” 

“Don’t even try to bend. You’ll get kicked out. Also, the Fire Lord won’t be so happy to hear his beloved ex-admiral messing around.” Sokka blocks his exit.

“Hmph, you can choose a better day than ruining my vacation. Alright, here’s a deal. I challenge Prince Zuko to an Agni Kai. I’ll vouch for him to go home if he wins, but don’t arrest me.”

Zuko laughs. “You’re as dumb as I remember. So it’s a fight, then. Don’t think we’ll go easy on you, old man. Come on, strike first.”

Zhao stands up and punches Suki. It angers Sokka that someone tries to hurt his girlfriend when it’s actually Zuko who challenges first. He knows Suki is strong, but this is a new low. Of course she blocks it and aims at his elbow instead. 

“NO FIGHT INSIDE THE CLUB! GET. OUT.” The barista yells, but no one is really paying attention to him especially when people’s scream is louder. The exit is crowded with people running for their life.   
She chi-blocks his hand only to find Zhao’s bodyguard already standing behind her. There are also four men towering Zuko. Seeing the opportunity, Zhao runs away with one hand paralysed. Sokka shouldn't be laughing, but it's hilarious. "I'll follow him!" Sokka bolts to the exit.  
Zhao runs pretty fast for a man in his sixties. Or maybe it's just Sokka who always skips the group daily exercise whenever he can. Regret always comes last, doesn't it? After all he's the brain guy! He shouldn't be doing the chase. Thinking that he could catch a fugitive grandpa is too arrogant of him. Damn, maybe Zhao really did deserve his admiral rank. And Sokka now learns the importance of leg day.

One Dai Li agent is following him. Great. Where are his friends when he needs them...

Sokka flashes his badge to the agent while running. "Stop bothering me! I'm in the middle of something right now!" But one does not simply run away from Dai Li's questioning. The agent is still running on top of people's houses, ugh.

He's making a turn when the agent stops him in front of the alley. Great, it's Ming again. Every second passes and Zhao is getting away further from him.

"Show me your permit." Sokka gives up and hands the paper to him. 

Ming really takes his time, as usual. This makes Sokka want to devour the guy alive. Last time he said that out loud, Ming said he would like to see that when it's only the two of them in his apartment. The guy even WINKED at him and Sokka just wants to erase the image from his head permanently. No amount of therapy could help him cope from the trauma.

He stomps his foot as loud as he can, hoping Ming could get the hint. Then he sees the smirk. "Alright, you're cleared. Enjoy your evening." 

Sokka snatches the paper. He's already thinking of thirty ways to make Ming's life miserable.

"Oh, call me when you break up with your girlfriend." He disappears to the roof. Sokka wants to burn Ba Sing Se to ashes. But then he remembers the mission.

Zhao couldn't be far away. He's not an earthbender. He cannot escape by making underground tunnels.

It's a good thing the alley turned out to be a dead end. He can see Zhao struggling to climb a wall with one hand. 

"It's over, Zhao. Come down. You have nowhere to go."

Zhao still hangs on the wall for his dear life.

"You know, your pants are barely hanging on your knees. I can see your underwear." Zhao stops and he finally goes down. He pulls up his pants before throwing fireballs to Sokka's direction. He barely dodges them and now he's the one running away. No time for boomerang action. Stupid benders with their bending.

"Oi. Sokka, need some help?" Suki waves at him and sits with one leg up on the rooftop.

“Eh, he should learn his lesson the hard way. He couldn’t just simply expect us to fight five huge guys at once. Even their eyebrows have muscles!” Zuko gestures with his hands, being dramatic as usual.  
“Okay, I’m sorry! Come on guys, let’s finish this up.” Sokka is already out of breath.

And then in an instant Zhao is surrounded with fire. Since his left hand is paralyzed, Zhao cannot extinguish it. Suki lands behind him and puts his hands in handcuffs.

Zuko drops in and puts out the fire. Then he punches Zhao in the face. “That’s for making us wait so long to capture you.” And he kicks his crotch. Zhao howls. “And that’s for trying to kill me seven years ago.”

Sokka claps. “Congrats team! Finally. Let’s have some fire noodles, it’s on me.”

"Not so fast. You can’t just bribe us for an apology. You have to earn it.” Zuko crosses his arms.

“Oh, I know! He can do our mission report for a month." Suki adds.

\----

And that is why Sokka is the only one who’s not jumping off the waterfall in Kyoshi Island.

It’s been two weeks since they finished the case. This was supposed to be only the three of them, but Zuko is tired of being the third wheel. So they invited Aang, Katara, and Ty Lee along. Zuko invited his uncle.

Katara and Aang are doing waterbending practice. It’s just weird that they are dating because it’s impossible for Sokka to see his baby sister being romantic with anyone. Suki is chatting with Ty Lee, probably about makeup. Zuko is just chilling with his uncle, drinking tea. Sokka still cannot believe the prince used to work as a server in his uncle’s teashop.

It requires a very special skill to keep the paper dry when he’s writing near a waterfall. But Sokka doesn’t want to be left out while his friends are having fun. His brain now stops working because he’s been doing the report for two days straight. Sokka just wants to enjoy the vacation as soon as he can. He already has four cups of coffee this morning and it still feels like he can use one more just to get a grip on reality.

There’s a screeching sound coming from above. The vultures have found him. Sokka just let the natural order of the universe to do its job, he’s only a mortal after all. There’s nothing you can do to stop... wait, Hawky?

The messenger bird lands on his shoulder. Sokka has never been happier that mother nature decides to take his life in another day. There’s a message attached on its chest.

All of his friends are looking at him now. Even Aang has stopped waterbending. Sokka opens the scroll.

“It’s from June. She’s in.” This is gonna be a lengthy mission.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my head for a month and I finally wrote it. I just like their teamwork in the boiling rock episode and I feel that it would be cool for them to work together fighting crimes. 
> 
> I wanted to put Mai but I think it would be better not to because in my story Zuko doesn’t want to be affiliated with anyone who has an important background in the fire nation. Ty Lee's family is not politically involved like Mai’s so I include her in the story.
> 
> I also feel like Toph would never meet them here because she’s still so sheltered. Yes, she's in the earth rumble but she keeps her image as a weak blind girl to the public.
> 
> June is a bounty hunter so i think it's natural for them to at least meet. I just put her there in the end in case I want to make another chapter.
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated :>


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